Bristol-Blue Lake Michigan Sailing Adventures

Today, I started sewing up a new Genoa for Kraken .  This summer, I patched and taped the old Genoa several times.  It is ripping down the luff seam, the foot seam and it is pretty thin in several other spots so it is well past time for the old sail to be retired.  I believe the Genoa may have come with the boat in 1978.  Happy birthday to me and the boat; at 38 years, we are the same age.   This is my second sailrite sail. A few years ago, I built a working jib. Here's a link to that project.  The previous owner built a main and a storm.  So this will fill out the sail inventory with all sailrite sails.   Over the last few weeks I've been working on getting a sewing machine fixed and tuned up.  It has been interesting as I have pulled apart and checked the timing on my machine. I even made a few modifications to beef it up a bit and allow for some extra clearance at the base plate.  Friday the kit from sailrite arrived! This was super fast I did not expect it to even

So we sailed yesterday.  It was a good start as we zipped around lake Kalamazoo.  Myles fished of the stern and I managed the sailing.   We where having a great day then the wind dropped off.  After 20 minutes or so of drifting between wind shadows I decided it was time to give it up and head back in for some cool refreshments.  While we where puttering up the channel my dependable little 4 hp Merc cut out.  I was able to get the motor to restart and a 100 yards later it puttered out again.  I pulled the cover off this time gave it a look and checked to make sure the spark plug wire had not fallen off.  Then I looked at the tank.  The transparent tank appeared empty of green fuel.  I popped the cap off the tank and peered down in. There was just a dribble of fluid in the tank. As the boat went up and down on the waves I could see it slosh back and forth leaving the white plastic bottom of the tank clearly visible.   Placing the cap back on I choked the motor no fire this time.